The Night Harpies of Terror
My girlfriend has PTSD.
I’ve learned that flashbacks haunt her on a regular basis. It took me some time to get used to this and so I wrote a poem about it because it is something I’ve learned about her and her PTSD.
I found an article that helped me learn some more things about this phenomena and thought that it would be good to put it out there for our community – http://ptsd.about.com/od/selfhelp/a/flashcoping.htm
Here’s a quote I appreciated and that opened my eyes just a little bit wider in understanding-
In coping with flashbacks and dissociation, prevention is key.
Flashbacks and dissociation are often triggered or cued by some kind of reminder of a traumatic event (for example, encountering certain people, going to specific places), or some other stressful experience. Therefore, it is important to identify the specific things that trigger flashbacks or dissociation.
surviving the specter 
Cinnia
07/13/2015 at 11:25
Another thing to add is that once you identify the triggers, talk to a professional and/or look up resources for dissociating the trigger from the trauma. I learned this from both my stepmother and from Whitney Cummings’ podcast episode on the Tim Ferris show.
As much as my own triggers and PTSD reactions frighten me, I don’t think I must live my life in fear or avoidance of triggers because of a past trauma.
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Surviving the Specter
07/13/2015 at 11:34
“As much as my own triggers and PTSD reactions frighten me, I don’t think I must live my life in fear or avoidance of triggers because of a past trauma.” – Thank you for sharing your story, Cinnia, as well as you wise advice. You are strong and resilient for choosing to live your life “free” of the fear from the things you once endured. X
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abbiegrrl
07/10/2015 at 07:47
I’ve only just identified a couple of my triggers, in the last few years, as PTSD-related. I already knew that angry men freaked me out, but more recently I realised that crying cats and babies, and hospitals are definitely triggers for me.
I will be in a vahicle soon with a cat who is EASILY freaked out (pretty sure he’s got some degree of ptsd), for EIGHT hours. This. Is. A. Trigger.
So, I’m investigating what my options are. I don’t think I can afford to have someone else do it for me, and he IS coming with us, (although the ptsd is seriously telling me we don’t really have to take him) so I think my only option is going to be a sedative for him and maybe an anti-anxiety med for me. (I avoid that sort of thing, but this looks like a pretty drastic situation.)
When I’m in a store and there is a child crying or worse (screaming, as they do), it’s sometimes helpful for me to see the child, to confirm that it’s not going into heart failure or other life-threatening problem. This sometimes buys me enough time to finish whatever I was doing, but not always.
PTSD is a bitch, No doubt about it.
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Tessa
07/09/2015 at 22:29
I can’t get away from my PTSD. Mine was caused by the fall of the towers on 9/11. I live right near the Philly Airport in South Jersey and see and hear airplanes all the time. I still have the fear that they are going to explode right over my head and crash into the house. For me I go to the river and watch the planes go over and land. They come in every few minutes. If I can calm myself I can actually enjoy watching the planes come in over the river to land. But over my house, I expect them to explode.
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Surviving the Specter
07/09/2015 at 22:34
Wow, thanks so much Tessa. How powerful and eerie. I remember taking my daughter to a spot where we observed the planes taking off, but I CAN’T imagine being in the vicinity when that traumatic even took place. I never thought of it in that light.
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